On Thursday June 15 2023, Elefantöra and artist/researcher Barbara Nerness will perform the piece that they have created together during Barbara's residency with ShareMusic 5–9 June 2023. The performance takes place during the SMC – Sound and Music Computing Conference at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.
"Elephant Ears on the Brain" is a live telematic performance by Elefantöra Electronic Music Ensemble in collaboration with artist Barbara Nerness. Some members of Elefantöra will be performing via JackTrip from Göteborg, Sweden. The performance employs a live feedback loop of biodata consisting of brainwaves (EEG), heartbeat sensors, and breath, which were explored during Barbara Nerness’ residency with ShareMusic &Performing Arts, June 5-9th, 2023.
Do these biosignals enhance our connection to remote bodies, and their connection to us?
Here you can watch the whole performance of Elephant Ears on the Brain at the SMC.
The event is arranged by the SMC Network. That is a "portal for the whole community" of Sound and Music Computing. The network, or portal, conducts a conference and summer school every year. At their website, you find collected information about research groups, publications and much more. Visit this website for more information about the conference. Want to know more? Have a look at SMC Network's website.
Barbara Nerness is an artist, researcher, and PhD candidate at Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). Her research focuses on brain dynamics measured by EEG during music improvisation, and she also writes, performs, and improvises her own music using custom controllers and acoustic instruments. She has performed at local venues in California, as well as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, NY, ZKM (Center for Art and Media), Karlsruhe, and the Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC), Belfast. She holds an M.A. in Music,Science, and Technology from Stanford University and a B.A. in Mathematics from UC Berkeley.
Elefantöra– the ensemble that shifts the order of the musical space. With their strong musicality and attentiveness, they disrespectfully move through the cracks of the thin walls between the analogue and the digital. Expect rich contrasts and cross-border meetings when Elefantöra challenges, stretches and breaks the box of what music can be – with a soundscape that makes you listen.
Elefantöra is a creative music ensemble with a focus on music technology. They mainly use iPads in their music creation, but also experiment with other ways of making music. In collaboration with orchestras, sound artists, dancers, researchers and composers, they have developed new music and explored artistic processes.
As a result, the ensemble has cultivated an exciting and multifaceted soundscape that offers inspiring encounters with traditional instruments. Through experience, investigative artistic processes have become the ensemble's core competency. The ensemble belongs to the expanding post-digital genre that explores the musical expression through instrumentation as well as working methods and notation. The listening always controls how the musical space shifts in size and density, changing with Elefantöra’s personal sound design.
Here you can watch the whole performance from the SMC on ShareMusic's Vimeo.
ShareMusic TechLab: Stanford 2023
JackTrip and the Symphony Orchestra of Norrlandsoperan
ShareMusic is part of the project MuseIT, which is co-funded by the European Union and runs from 2022-2025. MuseIT stands for "Multisensory, User-centred, Shared cultural Experiences through Interactive Technologies." ShareMusic's role in the MuseIT project focuses on the part that concerns cultural co-creation, and we are working, among other things, on the development of a "Remote Performance Platform" that will enable musical co-creation at a distance. We are involved in other parts of the project, not least in creating an accessible archive of cultural assets.
In total, twelve partners from nine EU countries and three non-EU associated partners are involved in the project. The project coordinator is the University of Borås. All project partners are part of so-called work packages that have different focus areas.
ShareMusic organises a number of activities during the project, where different features and technical developments are explored in co-creative settings. Activities are often arranged together with other project partners.